I am skippy skimmy person this week.

This conjunctivitis is the sickest I've been since I had mono. No joke. I have done nothing but lay on the coach since Tuesday.

What is it with adults getting wiped out by conjunctivitis? Hope yours resolves soon, with less fuss and bother than mine did.

Much ~ma wherever it needs to go.

There is a small, grey, female kitty hanging around in our back yard. Her ribs are almost visible, and there is a certain reddish cast to her fur that screams malnutrition to me. She walked right up to me this morning, first time I had ever seen her. She let me pet her. She let me pick her up. (Let me hold her for longer than Sammie does, but not much longer.) While I sat out on the steps talking to her and petting her, Daniel brought some cat food out. She ate hungrily, but stopped before scarfing up every last bite. Then she curled up between my feet. When I moved to come inside, she put her paw on my foot as if to ask me to stay out there with her.

I think her name is Annabelle.

She has ickiness in her ears, and some mucous around her nose. So we aren't inviting her indoors until she can get checked out at the veterinary clinic. Lots of handwashing after handling her before touching Harvey and Sammie.

The local humane society is pretty full up. They won't turn her away if we take her there, but.... I think she wants us.

I think Annabelle may have landed in just the right spot. Smart kitty.

Yeah, Annabelle has good taste.

Cass, you might want to tuck a small tub of Damp-Rid under your sink for a week or two till the wood dries out, just to prevent lingering damp and musty.

We swear by the stuff. H has two bags hanging in the shop all the time, and we swap them out when they're full of water. With all the stuff we have stored in the loft, it's peace of mind knowing the space is dry. We keep a bag in the van, too, parked in long-term storage and closed up, it can get musty-smelling. Not a problem with the damp rid. And I keep a little tub in my sink vanity cabinet--my bathroom is over a patch of ground that's had problematic drainage for a while. H has put in an underground drainage system that's working, but the Damp-Rid tub has done a good job of getting rid of a history of damp odors under that sink.

H says one of the closet-sized bags may actually work better, if you have clearance to hang it from the plumbing. Whichever, if you do use it, don't forget to check it after two or three weeks, and empty the collected water and refresh the crystals if you need to keep using it.

The cats that pick you are the best. I suspect there's a Craigslist for Kitties, listing the available spaces.

Thanks, Andi. I am feeling way better today although I have napped 3+ hours since I got up.

Aw, Annabelle.

Damp-rid! I think I need to get some of that stuff for my car.

I had a lovely nap. I'd like to sleep some more, but I should get up and do some things before going out tonight.

I had a craving for ice cream that was so strong I went out in 98F heat to score some. I think it'll be dinner tonight. (Well, that and a gin & tonic or 3).

I love being a grown up.

I made it back to New Jersey. Ended up with a burn on my leg from where it touched the muffler when I was refastening the bike rack because somebody at the rest stop unfastened it and we didn't notice until we had already driven a little while and someone started beeping at us.

I had a lovely nap. I'd like to sleep some more, but I should get up and do some things before going out tonight.

Ooh, me too. Not going out tonight but am gonna make some pink eyed peas with a hamhock and mushrooms over grits.

Not going out tonight but am gonna make some pink eyed peas with a hamhock and mushrooms over grits.

Yum! I made a kickass stew with about half of mine, but I need to figure out what to do with the other half of the peas and okra. Okra is not my favorite.

StW and I are going to see Captain America. And maybe get dinner, not sure.